This invention relates to a system of attaching a protective sheet roofing membrane on roof decks (or other substrates) which results in a substantial reduction in time and labor for installation, while achieving the desired result of securely attaching the membrane so that it remains securely attached when exposed to wind and other forces.
Known systems of installing a protective sheet roofing membrane require time consuming and labor intensive procedures and may result in a roofing membrane that is not securely attached to the roof deck. The system of the present invention for installing a protective roofing membrane involves creating a substantially continuous sheet of roof material by consecutively overlapping a few inches of individual protective roof material sheets at predetermined intervals. The sheets are welded, or otherwise seamed, together resulting in the underside of the continuous sheet having flaps (resulting from the overlap) of roofing material at every predetermined number of feet. In the field, at the time of installation, an aluminum (or other material) arched bridge (seal bar), preferably with one or more securing protrusions extending downward from its arched underside, is manually placed by the installer on the flap of roofing material between two sheets of the connected (welded) roofing material, preferably abutting the point of the weld. Thereafter a fastener, such as a wood screw, is driven through the top of the bar (bridge) at a location preferably close to the point of the weld, through the flap of roof material, preferably through a rigid layer of insulation and into the wood (or plywood, metal, concrete, tectum, gypsum or other material) roof deck. The continuous sheet of roof material is then rolled to the next location for screw insertion thus covering the last inserted screw.
The length and width of the sheet of roof membrane will vary based on the width or height of the roofing surface. The sheet of roof membrane can also be standardized to a no material waste standard size that a contractor can fit in the center of a roof, while making the appropriate fitting measurements at the perimeters of the roof. This process will standardize the sheets and cut material costs. Various known materials can be used to manufacture the sheet of roof membrane of the present invention.
In addition to the features mentioned above, objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the following description.